Young Justice: Resurrection
by M.Moccio
Summary: After the events of Invasion, many questions have still to be answered. The Light still have plans, Alpha Squad is on Mars, Beta is investigating Lex Corp, and Gamma is in pursuit of Vandal Savage. Join the team on their next journey in Young Justice: Resurrection!
1. Episode 1: Dominoes

**A/N: **I had originally planned to rewrite my fanfiction "Only Him," which can be found on my profile; however, when I wrote that, we were still in Season One. With Wally's death in Season 2, I figured it would be more prudent to simply continue with my own version of Season 3, as many of the themes I would have explored in "Only Him." Without further ado, here's _Young Justice: Resurrection_.

**Title: **Young Justice: Resurrection  
**Rating: **T

* * *

**Episode One: **Dominoes

JULY 5th – APOKALIPS 23:16 EST

"Business as usual."

The New God refrained from narrowing his eyes and released Savage's hand, turning to face the fire pits of Apokalips once more. "I trust it's fully operational?"

"Indeed." Savage came up and stood next to Darkseid and took in the sights of the Fourth World. Nowhere on Earth could one find such technological marvels, such innovations in order and control. The entire planet, as Savage understood, was a machine—and, like any machine, the fumes and heat were expelled through these pits of molten fire and torment to lay in the oppressive atmosphere of the world. Even Vandal Savage, a man of many thousands of years, could not help but be impressed by the power that stood next to him. They were men of the same feather—if someone like Darkseid could even be called a man.

"And I trust our friend Gordon will hold up his end of the bargain?" Savage clasped his hands behind his back and straightened. It was a bold move, to interact with Darkseid on a more familiar attitude. He knew no one on Apokalips would dare think of themselves as Darkseid's equal, but they were business partners and Savage wouldn't allow himself to be put into a position of reaction rather than action. He held his gaze towards the fire pits, pointedly ignoring the slight glow emitting from Darkseid's eyes.

"Glorious Godfrey will uphold the deal and use his abilities to influence the humans and instill Luthor into whatever position you so desire. Desaad, alert Granny that it's time. Go into the War World and lock onto New Genesis."

"My lord, they will generate the planetary shielding before we can calibrate the War World with our technology." The silence from Darkseid was answer enough for Desaad. "I shall calibrate the War World with all haste and commence firing."

"Good. I will expect your preparations to be complete soon, Savage."

"Within the week. With the War World distracting New Genesis, and the Light continuing our plans, you will have the necessary cover to procure your items."

"The last shipment of our technology will be in in place when I have what I need."

"Lord Darkseid," said Godfrey, interrupting. "Our little incursion on Mars was successful. The first piece of the device has been recovered."

"Then soon, the Fifth World will be mine. Godfrey, go with Savage and plan whatever it is he needs of you. Leave me."

Savage stood there for but a moment longer, if only to assert the fact they were equals, and then walked away with Godfrey to discuss their plans. The Fifth World was the enigma in the equation—Savage had no idea what it was, nor did any other member of the Light. He knew better than to ask Darkseid directly for the information. Savage would find out in time, and then the secrets of Darkseid's power, and the Earth, would be the Light's.

* * *

July 6th – ARLINGTON CEMETARY 14:46 EST

Since Nathanial Adams—Captain Atom—was, in fact, not dead, his spot in Arlington Cemetery remained vacant. Since Wally West died in the line of duty, and—being only nineteen—had no real burial plans, Captain Atom readily gave up his spot in the cemetery to the former speedster in recognition of his heroism. At best, it was a hollow gesture to the West family, because no amount of recognition, awards, or tears would bring Wally West home.

"Does anyone want to say a few words?" Bart asked, his words cutting through the silence. Barry and Iris stood with him on the right side of the grave, the Garricks on the left, and Wally's parents smack dab in front. Artemis was noticeably absent.

"Bart," Iris said, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly.

"What? Standing here, sulking… it's not doing anything. We should… we should be doing something. Anything. Feeling sorry isn't going to help us move on or..." Bart sighed, scratching his head. There was no body, and the go-to conclusion was that he was still alive somewhere. Out there. Alone. With everyone else burying Wally in the ground, Bart couldn't help but wonder when the best time to bring up his point of view would be.

Jay Garrick frowned at him, clearly indicating this was not the appropriate response the situation. Being the eldest among them, in both age and experience, this wasn't the first superhero burial Jay attended. They were awkward affairs, all of them, but nothing that couldn't be solved with a couple shots of bourbon and reminiscing the best times. But that was the norm for an adult burial. Burying a child, even a superhero… well, that was another matter entirely.

Barry slid his hands in his pockets and bit his lip. Who else was there to blame besides him? Losing a partner, Barry didn't know what to do. He hadn't slept in days, made constant apologies to the family, and stayed up at night, watching reruns of Wally's favorite cartoons, wondering where exactly he went wrong and how he could have saved his nephew. "Mary, Rudy…" he began.

"Wally always said you were the best thing that ever happened to him. Him and Artemis… you both made him so, so happy. A mother couldn't ask for anything more," Mary said, her voice hoarse from crying. "It was so nice of Captain Adams to give us this plot—it was fitting of Wally. I just wish we were all here."

"I tried calling Artemis, but she wasn't picking up," Iris said.

"Whatever it is," Mary said, confidently. "I'm sure that it's important."

* * *

July 6th – GOTHAM CITY 16:58 EST

"This is the last favor I do for you, Artemis. And then it's back to business as usual." Chesire printed out the schematics of LexCorp's subterranean levels to assist Artemis in her mission to gain samples of the rebranded Reach drink.

Artemis sat in the living room of Jade's little hideaway, a small place in the mountains outfitted with high-tech security and amenities, with her niece Lian. Lian sat in Artemis' lap and played with her hands; Artemis couldn't help but smile at her niece, wondering how her family could have been with Wally. Would they have had a beautiful baby girl? Or perhaps a handsome son? Of course, she would never know now.

"I thought you were done with the Light," Artemis said.

"I am, but we can't have you coming over here whenever you need something, let alone Red, who shows up whenever he pleases. Both of you coming and going will give Ra's a clear indication I'm giving you information—it's already under his grace that Lian and I aren't in danger, and I'd rather not have that change."

Not many people in Ra's service got out of the League of Shadows in any way other than death, so Jade knew she had been considerably fortunate to be off his and the Light's radar. She knew better than to expect the amnesty was granted solely because of Lian—it would make more sense to keep both herself and Lian alive as potential bargaining chips against Artemis.

"You've gone to see Mom, right?"

"Yes. She is grateful I've decided to include her in Lian's life. Sportsmaster, however, is not so lucky. He's been off doing some vendetta or another; I've long since stopped caring."

"He's still our dad," Artemis said softly, pulling Lian closer to her. Losing Wally had been abrupt and unexpected—that senseless, childhood notion of immortality evaporated when Wally left Artemis alone in that god-forsaken tundra, so Artemis knew now how important it would be to keep her remaining family safe and close. Of course, Artemis hadn't always felt that way—her past interactions with her father were a testament to how little she wanted to do with him, but it seemed right to at least attempt to mend ties.

"And our dad is a deadbeat, B-list villain without a future. He can be someone else's dead weight." Jade exhaled, remembering to be less callous. "But it's your choice. Just don't expect any favors from me. Now get out; I don't want Lian too excited to sleep tonight."

"I know she likes it when I come over." Artemis smiled and kissed her niece's head, before handing Lian over to Jade. "I'll see you when I see you, then." Artemis took her leave, fully acknowledging they weren't the hugging type. "Artemis to Beta," she said after well away from the apartment, "I've acquired the plans to LexCorp's secret underground facility in their Metropolis branch. Meet at rendezvous point in the morning."

* * *

JULY 6th – WAYNE MANOR 19:52 EST

"Master Dick, I absolutely must protest."

Alfred stood in the doorway of Dick's old room while the other man continued to haphazardly throw clothes in a backpack. It took all of Alfred's willpower to refrain from folding his shirts and putting them back in the dresser.

"Really?" Dick looked down at his blue shirt. "You're right, red would be much better." He peeled off his shirt and began looking for another.

"I mean, I must protest you packing up your things and leaving out of the blue." Alfred softened. "You don't have to grieve alone. Master Wally's death still lingers for all of us."

"I'm not grieving alone, Alfie. Trust me, everyone from the Team and Superman and Bruce are here for me, but I just need to keep moving forward, alright?" Dick pulled on a red shirt and his jacket, checking his things. His suit was in his bag, along with several changes of clothes and whatever pocket money he could scrounge up without delving into Bruce's or his parents' trust fund money. "Don't worry, I'll check in from time to time, I promise. I won't be gone too long. I just have to get my head screwed on straight."

"Sir, your head is "screwed on" perfectly fine." Alfred sighed. "Master Timothy will miss his brother."

"And I'll miss him, too. But this is something I gotta do." Dick hugged Alfred and left, going out to the garage, taking his motorcycle.

Tim watched Dick leave from the window of his bedroom, slightly resenting the fact that Dick didn't say goodbye. A smart cookie like Tim knew Dick left because living with two deductive geniuses and a surprisingly non-superpowered empathy—Bruce and Tim, and Alfred, respectively—could be rather irritating. Still, it would have been nice to at least get a "See ya."

Tim made his way down to the study, turning the clock to 10:47—the time of the Waynes' deaths—and made his way down into the cave. "He's gone, Bruce."

"Hnn."

Pretty standard response from the Batman. Tim saw Bruce sitting down at the Bat Computer, in his Batman uniform with the mask down, reviewing footage from the recent break-ins in the various museums of the city. On the footage, there was nothing. Nothing broken or stolen, but at the scene of the crime, a window would be broken, indicating the method of entry, and things in the museum would be in disarray, indicating the perpetrator was looking for something. The cameras had obviously been tampered with, but Bruce couldn't figure out why. Even more curious was the lack of exit. There were absolutely no signs of egress at any of the crime scenes.

"You aren't worried about him?" Tim asked, going up behind him. "Do you think Dick knows we know?"

"That's why he didn't say good bye, Tim. He's looking for Wally." The tone was monotonous, Bruce obviously keeping his mind occupied by analyzing the footage, looking for some sign of tampering, some indication as to where the footage changed from real time to loop, if the perpetrator had even done that.

"We're going to help him though, right?"

Bruce didn't say anything, but simply stood up and pulled on his cowl. "Suit up. We're going to see Catwoman." That would be a "no." There wouldn't be any going after Dick, apparently. Tim figured Bruce wanted to leave Dick to his own devices, to help him realize that Wally really was gone. No one was taking harder than him, except maybe the Flash and Artemis.

* * *

July 6th – WATCHTOWER – 21:24 EST

The Watchtower held its orbit above the Earth. Only a few on the face of the Earth truly experienced the total silence of space, alone with the slight hum of technology. Barbara felt at home amongst the League's array of machinery. Standing in the Command Center, in front of the translucent screen, Barbara had the world at her fingertips. "Beta," she said over the comm, "you're ready to zeta to Mars. B'arzz O'oomm should be waiting for you."

"Roger that, Batgirl," Miss Martian said. She turned to Superboy and Beatboy, who nodded back at her, recognizing her as the mission leader. They headed towards the zeta tubes with M'gann leading them.

"So, Miss M," Beastboy said, "is this whole white martian thing going to be a problem? I mean, you said they're kinda persecuted, so…"

"It'll be fine, Gar. Just don't bring it up or think about it and we'll be fine. I'll be shielding both of your minds while we're on Mars, so no one picks anything up they shouldn't. All martians communicate telepathically, so you'll have to open your minds at least that much."

Kon stifled a groan. He never really enjoyed telepathy, not since Cadmus and not counting Miss Martain's invasion of his mind less than a year ago. It was a lot for Aqualad to ask him to trust her enough to have such control of his mind, to shield it from the other martians and open up to them at the same time. He took comfort in the fact that M'gann seemed to be taking it seriously. An uncomfortable silence passed over them, M'gann remembering her guilt and Kon caught up in his thoughts.

"This is going to be so cool!" Gar said, getting in between them. "You're going to have to show us everything on Mars while we're there! Where you live, what's to do… it'll be awesome! What's it like?"

"We live underground, because the surface of Mars is inhospitable. It's still really bright and warm, and just… beautiful. We'll zeta to the capital, where the Royal Family presides—around them, you both _have_ to be very careful not to reveal that I'm a white martian, alright?" They nodded and she nodded back, taking them through the zeta tubes.

Meanwhile, Aqualad, Blue Beetle, and Wondergirl convened in the Command Center with Batgirl to go over Gamma's mission. Because Barbara was only 18, and still lived at home, she was unable to go with Gamma and would instead act as mission coordinator on the Watchtower.

"I've found several leads on Vandal Savage's location," she said, highlighting the places on the map. "It seems he's traveled to Tibet, which is very heavy with League of Shadows activity. More than likely, he's hiding out with Ra's Al Ghul. You're to go to these locations and scout them out—if you find his presence, I'll alert the League immediately and they'll come in hard. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Jamie said. "Where's Lagoon Boy? And Vergil?"

"He's in Atlantis with Aquaman—he'd be especially disadvantaged on this mission, so far away from his natural element. And Vergil is with Black Lightning in the field. " Aqualad spoke with the new authority his position entailed. It had been a long while since he held the leadership position on Young Justice, but he was no stranger to the duties of being leader. He would faithfully hold Dick's place until he returned from whatever foolhardy journey he was on.

"If that's it, I've primed the zeta tubes and they're ready to go."

"Um… is that really it? We go and check it out? That's it?" Cassie scratched her head, a little confused. There was usually more direction when Nightwing assigned the missions, like, more apparent bad guys, but she believed Barbara knew what she was doing.

"Yeah, that's it," Barbara confirmed.

"Come, let us move out." Aqualad led them towards the zeta tubes, while Barbara remained in the Command Center. After they left, Barbara reveled in the silence and took the opportunity to use the League's satellites and imagery to get a lock on Nightwing's location. She sighed to herself and watched him drive down a highway on his motorcycle—they were so far away from each other, and Barbara took comfort in just watching him from afar.

Black Canary walked into the Command Center, with Captain Marvel and Dr. Fate beside her. Barbara quickly switched the feed on the screen to team business, hiding her surveillance of Dick.

"All I'm asking is for a leave of absence," Captain Marvel said—Barbara noted he sounded rather stressed in his tone, but for what reason she didn't know.

"And I'm saying that, right now, it's not possible. With the Reach fiasco ending, any change in our roster could lead the public into thinking we're punishing you or something. Besides, you haven't even given me a good reason for it—if it's something important, then you can tell me."

"It _is_ important," Dr. Fate said. Rarely was he ever on the Watchtower, and his presence indicated something dreadfully important. "I vouch for Captain Marvel's authenticity in his claims. There is something stirring the magical world; no doubt he is setting out to find out what's causing the imbalance."

"Is this true, Billy?" At Dinah's question, he nodded. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I've been… forbidden. Old guys and their rules and all that." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled apologetically. "I just need one more thing…"

"Recognize B14 Lieutenant Marvel. Recognize B15 Sergeant Marvel."

The zeta tubes powered up and came through two teenagers. Lieutenant Marvel and Sergeant Marvel, better known as Freddy Freeman and Marry Bromfield respectively, was one of Billy's best school friends and lent the power of Shazam to assist Captain Marvel in his work. Freddy stood dressed in a blue colored outfit, very similar in make to Captain Marvel's—he had a strong figure, but a smaller stature. Mary, on the other hand, looked well built, but not muscular, in an outfit very much like Captain Marvel's in make and hue, but sported a skirt instead of pants.

"Damn," Freddie said. "I've waited so long to be up here."

Barbara turned refrained from smiling and fought the urge to grow excited. These were two of her friends, who left the team before 2015. They had been drafted as Marvels to assist Billy fighting, but their powers had been taken away by the wizard after their purpose had been served—they had defeated some demon that wanted to overtake Hell and reign on Earth, Sabbac, Barbara believe he was called. In any other circumstance, she would have embraced them in open arms, but their presence meant something was on the verge of becoming a very serious threat.

"Barbara!" Mary said, heading over and hugging her tightly. "I've missed you so much. You have no idea. Donna sends her regards—we're both so sorry we couldn't make Raquel's bridal shower. Did she get the gifts?"

"Yes, Mary, she did." Barbara smiled and returned the gesture, watching Freddy almost strut over to Captain Marvel and company. "Have you talked to her yet?"

"No, I haven't gotten a chance. With all this invasion business, everything's just cooling down. I'll talk to her in a couple days, though." She smiled. Mary was always very beautiful, with a creamy skin color that made her seem flawless.

"Good to know your codes are still working," Black Canary said, folding her arms. She disliked surprises, not that she wasn't happy to see her two former wards. "What was it you needed, Billy?"

"Nothing… Later. Freddy, I told you and Mary that I'd meet you in Fawcett."

"And we got bored, so we decided to see if our designations still worked. And now we've met you here. Good to see you, too." Freddy grinned at Black Canary, who overcame her dislike of the surprise and smiled back. "And now that we're here, made our grand entrance, and let everyone know we're back, we can go."

"Well, we can get on our way, then, boys." Mary smiled once more and looked at them. "Come on, we've got a job to do."

"It shouldn't take too long, Black Canary. Promise! Come on, guys." They said their goodbyes and Captain Marvel led them out the airlock. With all of them possessing the stamina of Atlas, none of them required breath to function.

"So," Freddie said. "Mary and I got our powers back, but we don't exactly know why, as the Wizard wouldn't tell us, and you wouldn't tell us over the comm. Why not?"

"Because it's too secretive… too important," Billy replied.

"What's going on?" Mary asked, picking up her pace to keep up with them.

"One of the Seven Deadly Sins has become active. They're shifting the balance of magic… We have to find the Sin and put it right before the others start to awake."

"Well," Freddy send. "Don't keep us in suspense! Which Sin is it?"

Billy paused for a moment, focusing on his flying, and then answered, "Pride."

* * *

July 7th – MARS 01:27 EST

The first thing Gar noticed upon successfully zeta beaming to Mars was that he felt extremely tired. His eyes drooped and he yawned, leaning against Miss Martian. She put her arm around him and turned to look at Superboy. He was taking in the view—they were standing on a platform, a high rise that overlooked the capital city of Mars. From up above, they could see the towering structures of glistening red earth and hear the profound silence echoing throughout the underground.

_Welcome to Mars_. They could all hear the voice in their head as B'arzz O'oomm came up behind them.

Gar straightened up in surprise, clearly not anticipating the invasion of his mind. Miss Martian hadn't set up the wads yet, and he tried to clear his mind, but his thoughts turned to Miss Martian; Kon scowled a bit. Her eyes glowed green and she blocked the appropriate spaces in Superboy and Beast Boy's minds. B'arzz O'oomm looked at Miss Martian for a second, and Gar clenched his teeth, trying not to give away his apprehension. He couldn't tell if he gave up Miss Martian's secret.

_I apologize for the intrusion_, he continued. _If we had spoken, our voices would have carried and disturbed the city. _

_It's not a problem, Green Beetle, _Miss Martian said.

_Please, call me B'arzz. _

_We got your message, _Kon said, bringing the conversation back to business. _What's the problem?_

_Someone made an attempt to steal on of Mars' sacred treasures. We need your help to find who did it. We have tried ourselves, but to no avail. _

_Which treasure? _M'gann asked.

_The Gregada Stone._

_The Gregada Stone? What's that? _Kon asked.

_It's an ancient meteorite martians recovered in some of their first surveys of Earth. It's a very sacred treasure to the Royal Family. _B'arzz said. _Come. The Royal Family is waiting to greet you._

_We're… meeting the Royal Family?_ M'gann asked.

_Why, yes. They've been waiting for you. They've been waiting for you all._

* * *

July 7th – GOTHAM CITY 02:16 EST

"How is that I'm always the one that gets beat up and bruised when we fight Lady Shiva?" Tim asked as he and Bruce headed towards Catwoman's apartment. Lady Shiva held the title of one of the most feared and professional bounty hunters in all the world; she reported to Ra's Al Ghul personally and made it her business to seek out the best fighters in the world and kill them for fun.

To this day, even Batman has never bester her in single combat. Batman grunted, standing up and concealing his own injuries—Shiva had broken several of his ribs, one of them dangerously close to his lung. But, they had to press on and continue. Something was wrong, for Lady Shiva to be in Gotham without Batman hearing about a target. As soon as they consulted with Catwoman, he would send Robin home and he would continue the night's endeavors himself.

"Uh… Batman…" Robin said, pointing out Catwoman's apartment from the building they stood upon.

The window was broken open and Batman could tell from afar that it was broken from the outside. His eye widened and he thought of Selina, how vulnerable she really was beneath that hardened exterior and layer of leather. "Stay," was all Bruce said before he grappled off to the window, going faster than he normally would—he held back a grunt as his rib rubbed painfully against his lung, threatening to puncture it. His thoughts were only on getting into that room, pushing images of a dying and broken Selina from his mind. He didn't know what was in there, if anything at all, and Bruce possessed the resolve and discipline to focus on the task at hand instead of jumping to conclusions.

As he swung, his cowl lenses switched to infrared and saw no heat signatures in the room. Batman burst through the window and landed in the living room. The first thing he noted was the silence—her cats were gone; the second was the complete disarray of the room—several broken items of furniture, signs of rifling through her possessions, and finally the scratch marks on the floor and wall, indicating someone dragged Selina kicking and fighting from the room. But there was no sign of exit, no sign of egress.

"Robin, return to the Batmobile. It'll take you back to the cave," Batman said through the comm.

"But what about you?"

"Things have become much more dangerous." He ended the conversation there and began to look over the scene, trying to find any clues pertaining to Catwoman's whereabouts or the identity of her kidnapper. Someone took Selina, and Batman resolved to find them, no matter the cost, and then break them before bringing Selina back.

* * *

July 7th – METROPOLIS 04:16 EST

Not many of Metropolis' many citizens found themselves awake before dawn. The park was completely empty, so no one saw a boomtube open in the middle of the night. Out from the tube came five individuals on their first trip to Earth since their pursuit of the New Genesphere.

They were the Forever People: Vykin, their leader—dark skinned and dressed in a green accented outfit; Bear—the large, muscular man with red hair and purple tattoos; Moonrider—the lightskinned man dressed in an pink accented vest; Serifan—the smallest of the group, dressed akin to a cowboy; and finally, the only woman of the group and the most beautiful—aptly named Beautiful Dreamer.

As they poured out of the boomtube, Bear raised his hands and grinned, "The Superboy! It has been very long! We—" and upon realizing Superboy was not in the park—"where is the Superboy?"

"Motherbox?" Vykin asked. Motherbox glowed yellow and spoke to Vykin. "She says Superboy could not be found. There is another in the vicinity she confused him with. She will guide us to him. He is the Superman."

"Mm, will he be able to help?" Dreamer asked.

"Hopefully, so," Vykin said. "He will understand that our mission is of the utmost importance. High Father himself sent us to Earth as New Genesis is assaulted to recover the Artifacts of the Source before Darkseid does. If we fail, he will use the Artifacts to become the Source and take over the Fifth World. He will be unstoppable and all we know… will be at an end."

* * *

**A/N:** Please read and review! Also, share the story, if you've liked it, on Tumblr or any other social media! You can connect with me at .com. Thank you so much, and I hope you've enjoyed the first episode!


	2. Episode 2: Threads

**Episode Two**: Threads

July 7th – GOTHAM CITY 05:23 AM EST

Trace levels of radiation in Catwoman's apartment matched only one signature known to the Justice League: the signature of a boom tube, similar to the technology Intergang employed. Although Batman couldn't glean any more information from the scene, this was enough to put his mind into gear. He connected the facts that there were no signs of egress in both Catwoman's apartment and the museums and determined that the culprit most likely used a boom tube as an escape route in both instances. He hadn't thought to look at the levels of radiation in the museums, so it was only a hunch, but it was more than nothing.

None of Intergang's forces entered Gotham, Batman was sure of it; this left the identity of the culprit still muddled. Even more muddled was the motive for the abduction, which led Batman to check Catwoman's recent thefts. Her last heist had been at Gotham National Museum, where he thwarted her as usual. But that was a month ago, and Gotham National Museum was the last crime scene for the mystery culprit.

Batman's eyes narrowed as he realized Catwoman most likely took something from the Museum without him knowing. He made his way, breaking into the Museum himself and checked the item she was going to steal: an old gun from the Midwest—the Ace of Winchesters. He slid it out of its case without raising the alarms and inspected it.

"Hn…" It was a fake. Catwoman must have exchanged it for the real one.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said over the comm. "It's nearing sunrise. I must insist that you return to the cave so I can treat your rib before the day's activities."

"No time, Alfred." Batman put the gun back in its case and made his way out of the museum. "Cancel everything for today."

"I'm afraid that's impossible, sir."

"Make it happen."

"Sir, you've been personally invited to Lex Luthor's gala and you already _publicly_ cleared your schedule for it. You've expressed to me how important it is to keep an eye on Luthor during this time. I must insist that you put your worry for Miss Kyle on hold during the day. Please—you will do no good for her if that wound gets any worse."

"Hn… Make sure Tim gets off to school, then pick me up at Leslie's."

"And the Batmobile?"

"Already on its way back to the cave, Alfred. See you in an hour and a half," Batman said, tapping the side of his communicator, switching it to off, along with his suit's tracer. He had no intention of wasting valuable time going to Leslie—he would make do with his injury and investigate the only unknown variable still not pursued: Lady Shiva.

Batman made his way through Gotham as the populace began to awaken.

* * *

July 7th – APARTMENT OF JADE NGUYEN 5:58 AM EST

Normal one and a half year olds would be crying through the middle of the night, but Lian Harper couldn't be considered "normal." Her mother, seasoned by her League of Shadows training, had already begun to instill principles of structure and order on Lian, getting her into a schedule and routine. A miraculous feat in the eyes of some, but this was nothing compared to the true skillset of Ra's Al Ghul's personal assassins.

Jade woke up every morning at 5 AM to train while Lian continued to sleep. Keeping her body lean and fit was essential to Jade, as most of her funds came from freelance assassination and protection jobs. During days off, she watched over Lian, which in and of itself was a full time job. Although Jade had been out of the League of Shadows for some time, her senses hadn't dulled. Flipping up and grabbing a sai, she readied herself.

"Come out, slowly."

"Hn…" The Dark Knight slid out of the shadows of the apartment, having gotten in rather easily.

"What do you want?" Jade asked, reaching for a hidden sai. "I haven't done anything to warrant your attention."

"Shiva. Why was she in Gotham?"

"How am I supposed to know? I don't work for Ra's anymore."

Batman came closer, towering over the smaller woman. "You will tell me where I can find her. Now."

* * *

July 7th – METROPOLIS 6:30 AM EST

"Good morning, America! G. Gordon Godfrey here to report on the recent global politics that I'm sure the majority of citizens ignore!" Godfrey sat at his desk, almost glaring in judgment at the cameras to instill his will onto the people watching him. As a member of the New Gods, he possessed certain abilities like influencing minds of humans. Chastising those who didn't keep up with the news worked in his favor, because his viewers would feel pleased they were not among those Godfrey addressed. This would make them more receptive to his abilities.

"Later today, the General Assembly of the United Nations will be voting to induct our very own Lex Luthor to the position of Secretary General! The Security Council has already recommended him, and it appears that the first _American_ will become the literal leader of the free world. So, to let you people know exactly what he's up to, we have Lex Luthor _here_, in person, to tell you about his plans and be upfront, unlike _some_ people in the Justice League! So please, welcome Lex Luthor!"

The audience burst into applause as Lex strutted out onto the stage and sat next to Gordon in his own chair. "Thank you, thank you," he said, with feigned modesty. There was no doubt in Gordon's mind that Luthor saw these people as trivial annoyances, people obviously beneath him. But Luthor had to play the game, play the people to protect the Earth he so fiercely loved. Gordon supposed only a true megalomaniac could both look down on the populace and do everything to "protect" them from the alien menace that was Superman. Of course, his methods were extreme, but Luthor wouldn't stoop so low as to kill another innocent human being outright—he had other people to do that for him. "And thank you, Mr. Godfrey."

"So, Mr. Luthor. We've invited you to my show to give you the opportunity to explain your platform and _really_ show the public how viable a candidate you are."

"Of course," Luthor said, readjusting his tie. "In the most recent years, the Middle East and Asia has slowly evolved into what we call "The Modern Powderkeg:" Biyalia, North and South Rhelasia, and several other well-known hot spots of conflict. Now, as Secretary General of the UN, I would use my peacekeeping skills to bring the Eastern and Western hemispheres together in peace, as I did with North and South Rhelasia. We will open talks with Queen Bee to have her cease hostilities, we will show the world that we can become something better by working together as a cohesive team."

"But, Mr. Luthor—"talking" has already been done. And how will we know that Queen Bee won't put you under her thumb like other puppets in the governments she's infiltrated?"

Luthor chuckled, obviously amused, not only because Queen Bee was another member of the Light, but he believed himself above her charms. "I was not the one facilitating those talks. I have a vision of the United Nations truly becoming united—not in the sense of becoming a world government, but along the lines of a more effective UN Peacekeeping Force that works in the interest of the UN and does more for the people of the world than Interpol and the Peacekeeping Forces.

"Terrorism and insurgency will become a thing of the past—we will work with "communist" governments to adopt more democratic principles; we will educate the public on the difference between communism and democracy, as one cannot have a "communist" government. Communism is an economic principle, Mr. Godfrey, but in communist regimes, we often see dictatorship, censorship, and infringement on basic human rights."

"And what of ideological differences, Mr. Luthor? Like Russia with their homophobic legislation?"

"We will have to see, Mr. Godfrey. After all, everyone is entitled to their opinion." Luthor checked his watch.

"I'm afraid that's all we have time for, folks. Any closing remarks, Mr. Luthor?"

"Thank you for having me, Mr. Godfrey. Please, tune in later in the day as the Lex Corp Gala is televised—we will follow the voting of the United Nations General Assembly live and, in the event of my victory, will include a special, exclusive press conference with a special announcement that will change the face of international politics as we know it forever."

Godfrey continued to influence the audience both in the studio and at home. Luthor stood, and the crowd met him with thunderous applause.

* * *

July 7th – CLARK AND LOIS' APARTMENT 6:52 AM

"Can you actually believe this, Lois? Lex flippin' Luthor for UN Secretary General! Leader of the free world my butt," Clark said, watching the Godfrey show. He couldn't believe it when it was announced several days ago, and he still couldn't believe it now. If the courts hadn't taken Young Justice's evidence, Superman would have had Lex brought in on charges of treason and conspiracy with the Light. But, as always, Luthor was free to wreak havoc on the world—if he actually did succeed the UN position, the League would be in a very precarious position.

"See it, believe it, get over it. Can't do anything about it, Clark." Even though he could be Superman, Lois knew he couldn't do everything. But, that's life, and Lois had better things to do than pander to her husband's wallows when it came to Luthor. Lex was a thorn in both their sides—he knew it, she knew it, no point groaning over it every chance they got.

"Anyway, you've already made me late for my prep for the gala. You're still meeting me there, right?" Lois grabbed her sports jacket and purse. "Bruce, too?" Clark nodded and sighed in frustration at Luthor on the screen.

The door knocked. Lois rolled her eyes and opened the door, revealing the Forever People crammed in front of their apartment door. Startled, Lois gasped and backed up, eyes wide.

"Greetings, woman of Earth!" Bear said with a wide grin.

"Oh, hell no. Clark, you deal with this." And with that, Lois shoved past them and stalked down the hall, muttering something about Perry having her head.

Clark, meanwhile, stood up, rubbing the back of his neck, unsure of what was going on. "Come in, quickly." He herded them in—as they did, he and Beautiful Dreamer caught eyes and she smiled at him. Clark blinked. "You're the Forever People that Superboy briefed us about."

"Yes," Vykin said. "Mother Box led us to you, Holder of the Superboy genes."

"Superman, please. Next time, go to the Watchtower, okay? I can't have you interrupting my civilian life."

"What's a Watchtower?" Serifan asked.

Clark went to answer him, but Vykin stopped him, saying, "We must not waste any time. We are all in grave danger. We must hurry, or all will perish beneath the might of Darkseid."

* * *

July 7th – MARS CAPITAL CITY 7:10 AM EST

On the way towards the city, Beast Boy had fallen asleep and B'aarz O'oom decided that the pleasantries could wait until the next morning. The martians were a very accommodating and gracious people—at least towards the beings they considered worthy of their good side. Green martians reveled in the Royal Family's ruling: free from poverty, disease, and a want for nothing, they spread their message across the planet. The white martians were not privy to these gifts, as their hideous appearance—reducing them to look like animals and monsters in the eyes of the green populace—and were thus treated as second class citizens.

M'gann knew that if she was discovered, terrible consequences would ensue—just by being in the Capital City, staying in the luscious accommodations, gave the Royal Family "reason" enough to detain her for the rest of her life. Being with the Royal Family and talking with them as equals… that would cause much more lethal consequences.

Which is why, when the former Green Beetle brought them to the palace, she reminded both of her companions the importance of not thinking about her too much. _Remember, we're here to find the culprit and that's that. Keep your minds off me. _They both nodded, Beast Boy grinning through his oxygen mask.

The palace itself was carved into the edge of the cavern, leading into an open area molded into a high chamber with an intricately decorated interior. The entire room's light drew towards the series of thrones, two large ones and one smaller one: The King, Queen, and Princess' thrones. Each of them sat in their chairs at attention, poised with a dignity befitting of royalty, only a small mark on their foreheads signifying their right to rule. Otherwise, they were exactly the same as everyone else.

_Your majesties. May I present Young Justice of Earth. _B'arzz bowed low. _Superboy, Connor Kent; and Beastboy, Logan Garfield. Of course, this is our own M'gann M'orzz, niece of our own J'onn J'onzz. _

The three bowed low as well.

_Thank you for coming_, the Queen said. _We have much to discuss._ Gar winced, trying his best to not look uncomfortable, as the Queen made him feel cold. _And little time to discuss them_.

* * *

July 7th – CENTRAL CITY, HOME OF BARRY ALLEN 7:46 AM EST

"Bart, you're going to be late." Iris popped her head in to her future grandson's room. Initially, the experience had been jarring—so many thoughts passed through her mind when Bart showed up on their doorstep: Oh my god, Barry and I… he looks just my father, he's got my nose, he's got Barry's face, Barry doesn't die as the Flash!, I get to have a family… I get to be happy. And then her nephew died, leaving only a time-displaced grandson and a whole range of questions he wouldn't answer.

"It's okay, really!" Bart said underneath the covers, curling up into a ball. He yawned, and then sped out from his cocoon and dressed himself, standing in front of Iris. He grinned. "See? Told ya." There was a slight pause in the conversation, and Bart knew she would try and bring up the future again, so he quickly added, "Is grandpa up yet?"

"He's having breakfast at the table. But, Bart—" and before Iris could get a word in edge-wise, Bart sped to the table, making his own plate, and ate across from Barry.

"Morning," Barry grunted. It was natural for someone to be withdrawn after a tragedy, but Bart figured this was a whole new kind of definition of mode—for all the 20th century people, that'd be "definition of bad."

"So, gramps! You know, I've been doing some thinking."

"This can't be good."

"Here me out! Alright, so… what if I told you I don't think Wally's dead?"

"I'd tell you that Captain Atom, Batman, Plastic Man, Superman, _and_ Doctor Fate tried looking for him. You know what they came up with? A fat load of nothing." Barry put his cup of coffee down and sighed, not wanting to get into such a touchy subject.

"But gramps, I'm telling you—I don't remember—"

"Enough!" Barry glared at him and Bart fell silent. "Do you understand the meaning of the word responsibility? You shouldn't even _be_ here, Bart. Don't manipulate the time stream any more than what you've already done—telling me about what you might or might not remember could have disastrous effects on what's to come. Worst case scenario, the world ends—or worse!" Barry wanted to add, You could cease to exist! Not be born at all! But then that might scare the kid, and Barry didn't want to do that.

"We need to focus on getting you home," Barry said.

"Um… right. Well, when you figure that out," Bart could sense he wouldn't get anywhere more with Barry, and it would just be better to keep his theories to himself, or maybe bring it to Batman… or Robin… or Nightwing… someone that could be impartial, "let me know! In the meantime, I'm going to go do that thing with Beta. Bye!"

Bart put his stuff in the sink and sped out of the house, leaving Barry to himself. Iris came up behind him and put a hand on Barry's shoulder, "It'll be okay, hun." Barry started to cry, overwhelmed with everything that had happened: sadness of Wally's death, Bart's sudden appearance that gave him hope for a future, uncertainty at how Iris was reacting to all of this, uncertainty about everything, about being a hero, about being a husband, about being a future-maybe-father… about being the Flash. So much to feel at once, and all Barry could do at the moment was bury his face in Iris' neck and let his emotions out so they didn't eat him whole.

"It'll be okay, Barry," Iris said again, hugging him tightly and rubbing his back. "We'll get through this, together."

July 7th – METROPOLIS CENTRAL PARK 7:59 AM EST

Artemis folded her arms, then checked her watch again. "He's still got a couple seconds," she said, looking up at Mal and Karen—Guardian and Bumblebee respectively.

"Oh, hell no. Eight a.m. means eight a.m.," Karen said. "He ain't gonna use his "I got superspeed" excuse anymore. If he's even one second late, I'm gonna—"

"You're gonna what?" Bart asked, coming up behind Artemis. "Am I late?"

Artemis looked at Bart, and couldn't help but see Iris' features in his face, the same features that Wally had. Bart reminded Artemis of Wally quite a bit, not that she could tell him that. Stifling her sigh—a reaction to yet another secret to keep—Artemis glanced at her watch, which read 8:00:13 AM, she lied and said, "Right on time. Let's go break into Lex's HQ."

* * *

July 7th WATCHTOWER 9:34 AM EST

Black Canary stood at the command center on the watchtower, several screens open in front of them. With Barbara in Gotham, she was alone to think—and, more importantly, to strategize. One screen held a live feed of Lex's gala being set up, with reporters coming in for the pre-show press conference; another screen showed the UN assembling for the voting procedures; the last few were several different feeds steaming from Lex Corp, so that they could track Beta Squad as they proceeded through the facility. They watched Beta because the Light was a joint League and Team priority, and Lex Luthor was not one to be taken lightly. It would do well for the Team to have extra eyes on them during their mission.

J'onn floated up from the floor, materializing beside her. "Dinah," he said in greeting.

"J'onn, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"However I may be of assistance, I would be glad to help."

"I have a dilemma," she said, turning her eyes from Beta Squad to the press conference. "I was approached last night by two heroes about what Luthor is planning. They came to me because of recent… developments." Black Canary looked at J'onn. "They were unaware you and Batman hadn't clued me in on what you were doing."

"Ah… Dinah. Those operatives are not League members. This was Batman's attempt to keep tabs on Luthor privately—he knew Luthor was interested in them and brought them to me to have their minds analyzed to ensure this wasn't a trap. Batman set them up to get in Luthor's good graces and keep him informed—with how heavily involved the Team has been in Luthor's schemes, Batman thought it prudent to create… insurance."

"Except," Dinah said, as she brought up the two superheroes in question. "They're registered in the League's database under the Leader's need-to-know access by Batman. It was made available to me last night, after they came to me—Batman sent them when they came to him with information, he said something about being too busy with Gotham."

"Then, it appears you have Batman's trust. I would not take advantage of that," J'onn said. "There must be a reason for Batman not to inform the rest of the League; I suggest you take a leap of faith and trust him."

"Mm," she replied, thinking. This kind of infiltration wasn't supposed to be a League mission, but why had Batman added them to the roster? What was he playing at? Nightwing's attempts at infiltration had some success, but it left more tears than not. The League was made up of adults and one teenager, so they might take the secrecy well enough. She sighed. "Alright."

"Might I ask, why did they come to you?"

"A new member of Luthor's plan came last night—a late addition." Black Canary brought up Catwoman's profile. "They thought it was something Batman should know. I haven't told him yet, because his communicator is down, but he'll find out soon enough, I suppose."

* * *

July 7th — CLARK AND LOIS' APARTMENT 10:16 AM EST

"Start over from the beginning. This…" Clark said, "This is a lot to process."

Vykin nodded as the rest of the Forever People congregated around the table. "We are a part of the New Gods—our Highfather, Izaya, rules with a guiding hand from New Genesis. We emulate the good nature of the Source, the overseer of all things—what you would know as "God." The Forever People, us, are an experiment of the Highfather's—all of us were taken from Earth at different points in history, as well as an artifact from our time.

"Mark Moonrider, for example," Vykin gestured towards the enigmatic man, "comes from what you would know as a Native American people. When Highfather took him from his time, Moonrider took an essence of his self—the artifact—and the artifact became imbibed with the Source's power from Highfather's staff. We all had the same process done to us."

"But why? Why you five? Why the Forever People?" Superman asked.

They looked at him, almost offended. They were all handpicked by the leader of the New Gods, the most important hand of the Source in all the universes. No one had ever questioned their right to this title and all of them looked towards each other for an answer.

Serifan spoke first, saying, "Well, alone we were all dreamin' of something back where we started, and no one understood. Just dreamin' along in life as dreamers, you see? But all the things we've done together, it's like we became the dream itself! And we followed the paths that only us dreamers could see! Riding along the invisible electron roads out in yonder space, beyond logic, beyond anything this here planet could tether us to—we were beyond _forever_! And that's who we are: Forever People." Serifan nodded and everyone just looked at him, pondering for a second that unique nugget of wisdom no one expected from him.

And then Superman remembered something they said about the Earth coming to an end. "What about this being, Darkseid?"

Vykin cleared his throat, getting back into the conversation. "Darkseid is the ruler of Apokalips, son of Yuga Khan and Heggra, bearer of the name Uxas, and host of the power of Omega. He is the dark to our light and seeks nothing but to become all powerful through the Source. He believes collecting these artifacts will grant him access to what we call the Anti-Life Equation—anyone who hears this equation will become an unyielding servant to the one who spoke it. It is a great and terrible weapon," Vykin said.

"But," Dreamer said, coming around the table to stand with them. "Imagine a world under one unequivocal leader, be that Darkseid, Highfather, or even _you_ Superman—imagine how much is really at stake here: freedom, truth, _love_—it would all be gone under the heel of the Universe's new master."

"And nobody would want Darkseid for a master!" Big Bear said.

"Yeah, he ain't nothin' to be trifled with," Serifan added.

"It is more than just that, Superman," Vykin said, taking hold of the conversation. "We are of the Fourth World, and where there is a Fourth World, there is a fifth. Darkseid, if he attains this power he seeks, will attempt to take the Fifth World, wherever it may be. The Fifth World is the next, natural progression of the Source's work and any meddling could alter the very fabric of existence."

"With Superboy gone, you _must_ help us, Superman," Dreamer said, taking his hand in hers. "With your help, we can get these artifacts before Darkseid does—his agents are already here on Earth; we would do it ourselves, but the last time we used our full powers, the last time we used the Infinity-Man, it almost got taken from us. We cannot allow the powers of Apokalips to taint such a powerful weapon. Which is why we need _your_ help, Superman. Help us find these relics and ensure our safe passage back to New Genesis and all will be well."

"Well… where do we start, then?" Clark asked, preparing to change into his Superman suit. "Do you know what we're looking for?" He was met with silence and looks. "What?"

"We were given no more information than that, Superman. We know where we came from on the Earth and our essences will guide us to our objectives," Vykin said.

"And what's your essence telling you now?" Clark asked.

Dreamer giggled, smiling at him. "It doesn't really work like that."

Clark opened his mouth to say something, but Big Bear threw up his hands and yelled, "Glorious Godfrey, how _did_ you get into that small box!" The Forever People snapped to attention at the mention of Darkseid's follower and crammed around the television, which showed Godfrey at the Gala, waiting for the news on Lex's appointment to the UN.

"Glorious Godfrey?" Clark asked.

"Yes," Vykin said. "He is one of Darkseid's most trusted henchmen, with an ability to alter perception in weaker beings. Manipulation is what he does. This "G. Gordon Godfrey" is nothing but a character Glorious Godfrey has created to assimilate easier into your world."

Clark's eyes narrowed as he watched Godfrey stand next to Lex, talking about Luthor's feelings like nothing was going on, and he wondered what connection Luthor—and, by extension, the Light—had to this minion of Darkseid.

* * *

July 7th — LUTHOR GALA 11:56 AM EST

Bruce forced himself not to rub his eyes or yawn. After talking with Cheshire, and realizing that she did, in fact, know nothing, he had to get himself ready for the Gala and over to Metropolis. Valuable time that he could have used to search for Catwoman wasted… He forced himself not to think of Selina and keep his mind on the task at hand: staying away and pretending to be the Bruce Wayne he knew he could be. But, dressed in a tuxedo, when the Batman uniform fit him much more comfortably, it was rather difficult for Bruce to get out of work mode. All he could really do was socialize with the other social elite and pretend to care about what they were saying.

"Fancy meeting you here, stranger," Lois said, coming up behind Bruce and putting her arm through his. "Can I steal him for a moment ladies? Thanks," she said, dragging Bruce off without the consent of the considerable amount of female admirers.

"Thanks," Bruce said, taking his arm back after they were a considerable distance away.

"You look out of it, Wayne. Night time activities catching up to you?" Lois and Bruce held the special positions of being the two closest people to Superman in the universe, which meant that they inevitably came to know each other very well. Bruce rather admired Lois' fiery and sincere personality, whereas Lois would put up with none of his sass or Batman-like tendencies.

"Hnn. It's almost noon," Bruce said, choosing to ignore her innuendo towards his role as Batman. He had long given up trying to control her words. "The vote should be announced soon." Bruce nodded at the large screen behind Gordon and Luthor, which showed the speaker for the UN voting process coming up to the podium.

"They can't really elect Luthor, Bruce. No one trusts that slimy, son of a—" And then the crowd burst into thunderous applause as Luthor stood up and the man on the screen informed the rest of the world that Lex Luthor would be the next Secretary General of the United Nations. "Oh, you can't be serious!"

Bruce's eyes narrowed, heading with Lois closer to Lex and Godfrey. "Better start believing it, Lois. You have to report it, after all."

"Luthor! Luthor!" Lois waved her hand, trying to get his attention after Godfrey congratulated him and opened the floor to questions from the press. Lois may have missed it, but Bruce noticed Lex eyeing her, as if he expected her to do that.

"Miss Lane, what question do you have?"

"What do you plan on doing with this newfound power of yours?" Lois made sure to sound moderately respectful, but they both knew that she was really attempting to address Luthor's past criminal deeds. Bruce noticed Lex smile, again—as if he knew she would ask that question and all the pieces of his plan fell smoothly into place.

"I'm glad you asked that, Miss Lane." Lex began to talk about the different procedures and logistic aspects he planned to implement concerning those powder kegs he mentioned earlier in the day.

Bruce became more aware of Godfrey occasionally stealing glances at Lois and turned his attention towards the talk show host There was something off about the man, something that Bruce couldn't quite put his finger on, but it was there.

"You paying attention, Wayne?" Lois asked, jabbing him lightly in the side with her elbow. Bruce grunted as her jab pushed his rib closer to his lung and he stifled a cough. "You alright? Oh, hold that thought."

"Which brings me to my most innovative and radical plan yet," Lex said, ending his monologue and bringing it back to the point. "The main reason why I brought this Gala together was in anticipation of my success. And with that success, I'd like to let you all in on the first order of business in my plan to keep the world safe. Now, I've been in talks with many different heads of governments across the globe in the UN and the first thing we realized was that we have no effective means of keeping peace. We have no Justice League of our own."

At that, the room suddenly grew silent and held onto his everyword.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that is all about to change. It's my pleasure to announce my plans—already supported by several key leaders of the free world—to create the new Justice League International!"

The lights grew dim and the screen behind Lex and Godfrey began to reel a media clip. Set to rather inspiring music, the video showcased different images of heroes with a narrator identifying each of them. The narrator said, "Bringing together heroes from all over the world, the Justice League International brings a new definition of cooperation. From Japan, Doctor Light—Kimio Hyoshi; from Russia, Rocket Red—Dimitri Pushkin; from England, Knight—Cyril Sheldrake; from Brazil, Fire—Beatriz Bonilla da Costa; from Norway, Ice—Tora Olafsdotter; from Australia, the Tasmanian Devil—Hugh Dawkins; and America's own, Catwoman!"

"What the…" Lois looked at Bruce. "You don't look surprised."

"Because I'm not." He knew about Lex's plans to bring together an international team of superheroes, but he didn't know about Catwoman. Perhaps that was what his two infiltrators came to warn him about.

Bruce's eyes narrowed as the image of Catwoman appearing on screen. She would never let them do that, let alone join an international team of superheroes. That wasn't her style; Luthor was up to something. And Bruce would find out what.

* * *

July 7th — TIBET 1:16 PM EST

Although it was only it was July 7th back on the East Coast, in Tibet it was already July 8th and a little after 2 o'clock in the morning. Only Aqualad was awake, tending to the fire and making sure his companions rested without disturbance. Cassie slept soundly next to the fire, while Jamie tossed and turned a bit. Kaldur knew he should wake Jamie for his shift of the watch, but the day had been trying on them all. Climbing the steep terrain of Tibet's most remote regions, while simultaneously coming up with nothing, was admittedly a frustrating experience. But, there would be time tomorrow.

Kaldur yawned and knew he needed more rest. He shook Jamie awake. "It is your turn to keep watch."

"Huh?" Jamie asked, rubbing his eyes. "Oh… right. Good night, er—morning." Kaldur nodded and laid down, quickly falling asleep. "Oh man…"

_Jamie Reyes, make sure you stay awake. My sensors can only do so much when you are fatigued, _the scarab said into his mind.

"I know, I know," Jamie replied. He sat next to the fire, even though his Blue Beetle suit kept him considerably warm on its own. Jamie sat, tapping his foot, and then his finger, and then constantly started to glance left and right. He couldn't sit still, no matter what he did, and listening to the rhythmic breathing of his teammates only served to wish more sleep upon him. "Argh!" He paused. "I'm gonna go take a leak," he said to no one in particular.

Jamie went a little ways away from the campsite, not wanting to have the smell or sound of his urine to wake up his teammates. He let out a sigh as he released his bladder and leaned his head back, almost falling asleep again. He was so close to falling asleep, Jamie hadn't heard the noises of someone's footsteps coming closer.

_Jamie Reyes, behind you!_

Jamie's eyes snapped open and his armor went back to its standard positioning. Using the scarab's technology, Jamie located the person and tackled him to the ground. "Who are you!?" Jamie asked, pinning the intruder.

It was a boy, about Jamie's age. He was white and looked very out of place with the indigenous people of Tibet. He had on strange cloth clothing, almost like what one would expect an old-time ninja to wear. The boy had strong features, dark brown hair with bangs on either side of his forehead, and penetrating deep-brown eyes. He struggled against Jamie's grip, and tried to knee Jamie in the groin, but it the armor protected Jamie from the boy's struggles.

Jamie tightened his grip. "Who are you!?"

The boy let out a grunt. "My name is Jason Todd!"

* * *

**A/N: **Hi everyone! Thanks for bearing with me with this late update. I've been writing as often as I can, and I want to turn out a quality product, so that means updates may be as sparse as every 14 to 18 days at most! I'll try not to exceed update times past that, but no guarantees! As you can see, I'm trying to develop the plot and expand the DC Universe here in Young Justice, so if anything gets confusing, please drop me a line in the review box or PM and I'll see about addressing that confusion (if I can answer it!) so that everything is clearer in the future!

Another reason why this episode was so late is because I wrote this article for _Emertainment Monthly_, Emerson College's unofficial entertainment magazine! I wrote an article called "Why "Man of Steel" Isn't a Superman Movie"-it's gotten over 2,500 views and was featured on ! Check it out if you'd like-it'd really mean a lot! /2013/06/15/why-man-of-steel-isnt-a-superman-movie /

Also, I've secured an interview with MARCUS TO, the artist behind "Red Robin" and "Huntress" and the new "Cyborg 009". If you have a question you'd like to ask him, feel free to submit it to r/comicbookart/comments/1gimnv/interview_with_marc us_to_on_his_career_and_cyborg/

Sorry for all that shameless self-promotion, but it really does mean a lot to me! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment of "Young Justice: Ressurection"!


	3. Episode 3: Pieces

**A/N: **I just wanted to take this moment to thank everyone for sticking with this. I'm cranking out these chapters as fast as I can, but between real life stuff, my work on Emertainment Monthly, and prepping for Fall Semester, I've been busier than expected. I'm really passionate about Young Justice, though, and I plan to see this through until the end! Please enjoy the latest chapter of Young Justice: Resurrection!

* * *

**Episode Three: **Pieces

July 7th – TIBET 1:18 PM EST

"My name is Jason Todd!"

Jamie tightened his grip, still not trusting the boy. He had no idea if he was supposed to actually know the name Jason Todd and just blindly trust him-even if Jamie did recognize the name, finding a random kid in Tibet wasn't exactly normal or trust inducing.

_My records show that Jason Todd should be dead. He was-watch out!_

Jason kneed Jamie hard in the groin-the armor protecting him from most of the impact-and then extended his leg up to throw Jamie off. As Jason scrambled up, Jamie tumbled and regained his footing, aiming his cannon at Jason and really taking a look at him. The boy was dressed in a cloth get-up Jamie would imagine belonged to an old-school martial artist living as a hermit in the mountains.

"Alright, alright," Jason said, holding up his hands. "Like I said, my name is Jason Todd. You're Blue Beetle, right?"

"Yeah... how do you know who I am?"

_He was the second Robin, Jamie Reyes. _

"How do you know that when I don't?"

_I have access to technology and databases you don't. _

Jason watched as the weird kid talked to himself and used the opportunity to flick his wrist and send a shuriken at Blue Beetle's face. He knew Blue Beetle would deflect the projectile with his cannon-the shurkien was only a distraction-and would lower his defenses enough for Jason to close the distance between them and slam his palm up into Jamie's chin, knocking him out.

Jason dusted his hands off, looking at the hero. "They really don't make 'em like they used to," he said under his breath. It had been a while since he came back from the grave, but he was up to date with all the current heroes and the roster of the Team, even his new replacement. But it didn't matter-none of them could stand up to him now, not even Dickie Boy.

"Do not move."

Jason froze, feeling the point of a sword behind his back. He recognized the voice, however, and smiled slightly, realizing this was the one team member that wouldn't overreact and hurt him. He would be the easiest to manipulate. "You're not really going to stab _me_, are you, Aqualad?" He turned and looked at Kaldur straight in the eye. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kaldur stared a Jason, slowly lowering his sword, deactivating his magic. "It cannot be." Coming back from the dead was an ability to a very select few, and Batman had assured the Team that Jason would not be coming back to life. But here Jason was, standing before him, and Kaldur couldn't help but feel pain well in his heart and wonder why it couldn't have been his beloved Tula to return from the dead.

"Aqualad!" Cassie said, landing behind him. She had taken a couple seconds more to wake up and hone in on Jamie's location-why did boys have to pee so far away from camp? "What's-who's that?"

"This," Kaldur said, "was Robin. What happened to Blue Beetle?"

"He attacked first, wouldn't listen. I had to defend myself." Jason picked Jamie up and slung him over his shoulder. "You have a camp near here, right? Bring me there and I'll fill you in. I need your help to stop Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows from making Vandal Savage invincible."

* * *

July 7th – DESERT BETWEEN BIYALIA AND KHANDAQ 2:42 PM EST

"Does anyone else feel like we've been flying for a long time? Like, forever long time?" Freddy asked, frowning a bit. The group of Marvels continued to fly over ever expansive desert that should have been the outskirts of modern Kahndaq.

"We thought you knew," Mary said. She and Billy had exchanged knowing glances a couple hours ago-Freddy always had the ability to zone out and go on autopilot when he wasn't needed, but they never expected that he wouldn't catch on that they had been trapped in a mystical loop.

"We're being thrown every which way," Marvel said. "Mary and I have been trying to look through whatever enchantment is doing this, but we've got nothing. That means _something_ doesn't want us getting near Pride."

"Black Adam?" Freddy offered.

Marvel shook his head. "He doesn't have this kind of power. It's someone-"

"Or something," Mary added.

"Or something else."

"Does that look like someone to you?" Freddy asked, squinting in the distance. He found it hard to believe that they had just been flying for hours without finding anything when he found something within three minutes of looking. "Are you sure you guys were really looking for something?" The figure in question appeared to be a dark blue silhouette standing atop a sand dune in the far distance. They sped towards it.

"It can't be," Marvel said as they got a better look at the figure.

"Who is it?" Mary asked.

They landed in front of the stranger-he stood a little shorter than the Captain and dressed in a dark blue cloak with a matching hat that shrouded most of his face. "It's the Phantom Stranger," Marvel said. "He always shows up whenever something very bad is about to happen-he's been forbidden to intervene in worldly affairs."

"But what is he?"

"I, Freddy Freeman, am the endless wanderer, the Phantom Stranger. Beyond human, I am one of the conduits tied to the Presence. I watch over this world, and unless the three of you accomplish your goals, it will end," the Stranger said. "I have delayed you to ensure your arrival coincides with Pride. I have led her here."

"Why would you do that?" Mary asked.

"More importantly, how?" Marvel asked.

"I have told her the truth. Those who are to help humanity will meet you here," the Stranger said, looking at them with a stoney face.

"You're talking like Pride is an actual being-a living, breathing, person," Freddy said. The Stranger just looked at him, affirming his suspicions. "We're supposed to be taking on the Deadly Sins, right? Now you're saying she's just a girl? And you betrayed her by lying to her? We have to get rid of them, not help them."

"I am only the messenger. And now, I take my leave," the Stranger replied. He looked at the Captain. "I trust you to do what is necessary." And with that, a wind blew and sand came up into the air, the Stranger's form dissolving in the wind and another form appearing in the distance.

"He made it seem like it was a person," Freddy reiterated.

"Maybe she is," Mary said.

"So is it a real person? Or just a Sin in disguise? Like those things from Full Metal Alchemist? Or the Nobodies from Kingdom Hearts?"

"Huh?" Captain Marvel asked, totally missing the two pop culture references. "Um... I dunno, but you two stay here, I'll-"

"Yeah," Mary said. "No. I will go-the Stranger said it was a she. I'll scope it out, you two stay back and wait for my signal." With that, she flew off towards the figure.

Mary saw that the figure was shrouded in another cloak, this one a deep bluish purple. The frame definitely suggested the being was a woman who couldn't be older than a teenager-fifteen or sixteen. The being turned towards Mary and backed away in fear, collapsing to the ground.

"Ngh..."

Mary landed and pulled the girl up, her hood falling back. She looked to be about fifteen, her skin pale with only a red diamond on her forehead-she had purple hair and looked fairly sick. "You're going to be alright," Mary said. "What's your name?"

"Raven," she replied. "My name... is Raven. Who are you?"

"My name is Lieutenant Marvel." Mary picked the girl up, doubting that she was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Raven looked tired, weak, and helpless-no emodiment of pride would allow themselves to be in such a humble form.

"My hood... Azarath Metrion Zinthos," Raven said, softly, and a black energy forced the hood back up to shroud her face. "My father... he can't find me, or he'll kill you. He'll kill the world."

"You're safe with me, Raven. Even from your father."

"No one can be safe from Trigon."

* * *

July 7th – MARS CAPITAL 6:32 PM

"So, what are we gonna do?" Beast Boy asked, flopping down on his bed. They had finished talking with the Royal Family hours ago, and he was waiting for Kon and her to figure out their next move. He scratched his face, right where his breather met his skin—Miss M had told him that he'd be able to change enough to adapt to Martian atmosphere, but Gar had been unsuccessful so far. She assured him he'd be able to do it soon enough.

Kon folded his arms, looking at M'gann, who was staring out the window overlooking the rest of the city. She had been quiet since they left the Royal Family, and he knew it was because they had a close call with Gar—not that he even realized—but this was her territory, and she needed to figure out their next move.

"Honestly? I don't know," she finally said, sighing. Part of her mind still thought about the conversations back at the palace.

"_Our most sacred treasure, the Gregada Stone, was almost taken several days ago," the Queen had said. "Thankfully, we responded quick enough, as it's in the vicinity of the palace. The stone in question is a relic we recovered before your time—back when the Earth was young and its people savage and uncouth. It fell from the sky and became imbibed with a strange power, but the true value is in its sentience. Something touched the Stone, and in turn gave it life—the Royal Family has always guarded the stone as our most valued treasure and tradition."_

"_We do not know how this thief broke into our vault," the King added. "We have examined it ourselves, as have several of our trusted colleagues. None of them have been able to ascertain the nature of the break in. We would normally ask J'onn to perform such an investigation, but there are—apparently—other matters to attend to on Earth." _

_The King had said that in such a way, Connor couldn't help but find a little resentment in their voice. He did his best to keep his face and mind neutral, so not to broadcast his judgments. Locking eyes with M'gann, he could see that she, too, felt the same way._

"_Because none of our citizens have shown ill will towards us, we believe the assailant is one of the Dark Ones. Martians who have either been banished or cut off from our communion of minds," the Queen explained. "There have not been many in recent history to sever bonds with our culture, and even fewer banished, but it seems to be the most logical conclusion."_

"_Normally, we would expect the White Martians to undergo such treachery," the King continued, "but they have been found innocent as well. We have interrogated every last one of them in pursuit of the truth."_

"_What?" Gar said, perking up. "You did what? Why do you think they would do something like that? They're Martian's too, right? So wouldn't they respect the stone as well?"_

"_White Martians are lowly creatures, Green One," the Queen said. "They're base instincts are to steal and cripple those truly worthy of the Martian ways."_

"_But…" Gar said, about to defend the people in question._

"_They're right, Gar," M'gann said, keeping her voice steady. "White Martians only seek to lie and deceive to get what they want—it isn't a stretch that they would do something like this." Of course she would say that—M'gann had lied her way onto Young Justice, had deceived her "Uncle" J'onn, and concealed her true identity under the mask of "Megan" from a television sitcom. Her intentions may not have been malevolent, but she couldn't help but take her actions as representation of the whole. "We'll begin our investigation as soon as possible. Once we have something, we'll let you know."_

"We have to be very careful. Gar, you can't go around defending the White Martians or else you'll blow my cover."

"Well, maybe this is a chance to change the way they think! What would they say if a White Martian helped the Royal Family find the thief," Gar asked, grinning—he imagined M'gann adorned with flowers, saluted by whatever peacekeeping force Mars had, and earning the eternal gratitude of the Royal Family.

"They wouldn't say anything. They'd execute me for fraternizing with them in the first place." M'gann sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Let's just find this guy, okay? Gar, take to the skies and try to get an aerial picture of the place—keep us updated on anyone you think looks suspicious. Superboy, you and I will go out into the city and fan out—keep your eyes and ears open. Together, hopefully we'll find whoever did this and fast."

* * *

July 7th – OUTSIDE DAKOTA CITY 7:21 PM EST

"Remember, Virgil, _channel_ it through you. Start the spark, but then guide it. Don't try to control it, direct it," Jefferson Pierce—better known as Black Lightning—said. He and Virgil—codename Static—were in a junkyard outside of Dakota City, practicing with his powers. Although their powers weren't exactly the same, he could help the young hero in developing his powers. "Try it again. This time, do a flip and stay on your disk."

Black Lightning could manipulate his own bio-electrical energies to achieve various ends. Virgil, on the other hand, could generate electricity spontaneously. His powers were much more limited than Virgil's, but could be more effective in certain instances: for example, starting a heart would be better for Black Lightning, because his powers have to deal with bio-electricity. Shocking someone with raw electricity wouldn't achieve better results.

"Alright, here I go," Virgil said, putting on his goggles. Black Lightning had made him a special hover disk, so that Virgil wouldn't have to use just a simple garbage can. It would do some of the work for Virgil, like manipulating its polarity so it would stay off the ground, but Virgil still had to channel the right amount of energy in it to work, and then manipulate it to stay on the disk at all times. It took an enormous amount of concentration.

Virgil stepped onto the disk and floated for a second, before heading up into the air. He pushed himself and went faster to gain momentum, and then threw his weight forward to flip. He lost his sense of direction and panicked for a split second, losing control of his powers. With a yell, Virgil fell onto a pile of garbage, his disk landing next to him. He groaned. "A little help would be appreciated."

"Sure thing." Although Virgil was talking to Black Lightning, Superman was the one who lifted him out of the garbage and floated him down back to the ground. "Pretty nasty fall there. You all right, son?"

Virgil blinked. "Yeah, thanks."

"What can I do for you Superman?" Black Lightning asked. It wasn't usual that Superman left Metropolis, even stranger when he left Metropolis when not on a League mission or an apocalyptic situation. Considering there had been no chatter on the League channels, BL considered the apocalyptic scenario more likely.

"Actually, I'm here for Virgil."

"Me? I promise, whatever it is, I didn't do it. And if I did it, it was before I was a hero, alright?"

"Relax, Virgil," Superman said. "My friends and I need your help." Superman gestured to the Forever People floating down on their vehicle. "Your friends with Tye Longshadow, right? We need him to help find something."

"Well, why don't you just ask him?"

"Because, apparently, we're looking for a relic. A Mescalero Apache artifact. One that's connected to Moonrider, over there. It's of the utmost importance that you help us, Virgil."

"Um…" Virgil said. He wasn't used to getting asked favors from the Man of Steel, or anyone for that matter. But if the big man asked for something, it had to be important, right? "Yeah, sure. I can take you to where he lives and talk to him for you. Why do you want it?"

"Because," Vykin said, chiming in. "If we don't get to it first, then your friend and his people may be massacred by the personification of all evil you have or ever will know, and the fate of the entire universe will be death."

"Personification of all evil? Man, and I thought we already had it rough," Virgil said, rubbing the back of his neck. How was he supposed to react to that? How could anyone react to that?

"Go, Virgil. We'll continue this another time. Superman, have you alerted the League?"

"No. We can't have the League mobilize on this, or else the Light will realize we're on to whatever is happening. The Light supplied Intergang with those weapons last year, the Light utilized that same technology to bring Sphere to Earth—whatever's going on, they're involved, which means they can't know." Black Lightning nodded in understanding and Superman turned to Virgil. "Let's go."

* * *

July 7th – METROPOLIS 8:16 PM

It didn't take much for Bruce to figure out where the JLA's members would be housed. A quick trace of his operatives' signals and the location was revealed to be a Lex Corp complex in Metropolis. After finding the location, it was simple to hack into the complex's system to find Catwoman's location—after attending several events as Bruce Wayne at key Lex Corp buildings, Batman had been able to systematically set up a backdoor to monitor Luthor. It had taken almost a year and a half to reach full completion, but the wait had been worth it, especially if it meant getting closer to Catwoman.

Batman set his wounded ribs quickly, sacrificing efficiency for speed as he suited up. It was just after the sun set, and Metropolis wasn't as easy to navigate as Gotham. Less places to grapple, more lights, and more opportunities to be seen—the sky scrapers were too high and the buildings too spread out to run across the rooftops. He and Clark would periodically switch cities for one night every couple of nights to keep each other on their toes. Whereas Metropolis wasn't Batman's most opportune workplace, the same could be said for Superman and Gotham. Many of the buildings were lined with lead and the city itself was a maze, relying on sound was also an issue because sound waves would frequently echo and bounce off of the many surfaces the city had to offer.

Although he still wasn't at one hundred percent, Bruce had to grit his teeth and bear the pain so that he could get into the complex and get Catwoman. She, like Talia Al Ghul, had a special effect on him that almost no other women in the world could produce. The list of Bruce's love interests could be counted on a single hand, and he would only admit to himself that he had feelings for Selina. But, his city took precedence, unless her life was in danger. Being a part of the JLA—which Batman suspected was the result of coercion—was definitely a threat to her well-being and he wouldn't risk her life.

The compound was guarded by a standard Lex Corp patrol pattern, easy for Batman to predict and avoid. Lex always believed himself infallible, and his pride would never allow him to admit a patrol system of his own design held flaws. Just made it that much easier for Batman to exploit.

Avoiding the guards was easy, and it only took a couple minutes to reach Catwoman's quarters. He entered through the window silently, keeping to the shadows and surveying the room. It was a simple bedroom, and Batman could see her underneath the covers. He stepped towards the bed, but stopped. Something was wrong. She would have noticed him enter—Selina could always sense him, and she would never let him get this close to her unless she initiated the contact herself. Batman's eyes narrowed and saw that she didn't make a move. Selina wasn't a heavy sleeper—that _wasn't _Selina at all.

He moved to the window to leave, but someone came out of the shadows to attack him. Batman grabbed the assailant and pushed him up into the wall, his arm on the person's throat to keep him in place. "Gordon Godfrey?" Batman asked. What was Godfrey doing attacking him? Bruce knew that he was involved with Lex somehow, but the man wasn't a fighter. Batman slammed Godfrey's head into the wall, which would knock out almost any human. Believing himself safe, Batman moved to the window.

Godfrey grabbed Batman's wrist from the ground and pulled himself up, slamming a device into Batman's stomach, giving him an electrical shock that would have knocked out the likes of Killer Crock. Batman collapsed to the floor, groaning. Godfrey, a New God, had much more durability than met the eye, and Bruce's attack had little effect on him, especially since Godfrey was expecting it. "So, sorry, Batman. It takes more than that to get rid of me. Nighty night." Godfrey kicked Batman in the face, knocking him out.

Godfrey readjusted his tie and fixed his hair before pulling out his phone. "Good news, Batman is in custody. Your plan worked. Congratulations, Mr. Luthor. I'll start working on the press—Catwoman ultimately declined our invitation to join the JLI, because she wanted to keep her identity a secret. At least, that's what we'll make them believe."

* * *

July 7th – METROPOLIS SEWERS 8:24 PM

The plan was relatively simple. They'd come up through the sewer system, with Bumblebee unlocking the door necessary to get into the lab's sublevels. They would wait until night, while Karen scoped out the security.

"Ugh, seriously. It smells rank in here," Bart said, waving his hand in front of his nose. "How much longer do we have to wait, anyway?"

"As long as it takes," Mal said.

"Not much longer," Tigress replied. "Right, Bumblebee?"

"Right. What are coordinates?" Karen said over the comm.

"Two clicks to the door—do you have the security system compromised?"

"Affirmative. You guys are clear to head towards the door. I'll be there, waiting."

"Copy," Tigress said. Although the sewers and underground passageways were Metropolis property, Lex had asserted his authority as a businessman and had the areas intersecting his business' sublevels wired and set-up for surveillance. Bumblebee managed to place one of Young Justice's signature devices on the main surveillance hub to mask their presence. "Come on."

They ran down the hall and headed towards one of the secret entrances Lex's henchmen would use to get away if they were compromised. Considering the factory they were targeting held the re-branded Reach drink, his henchman had used it often enough for the League and the Team to take notice of its location. Bumblebee opened the door right on time and they continued into the facility without a problem.

"You know, you still look _fine _in that suit," Bumblebee said to Guardian, grinning. Bart groaned, shaking his head. "Patrol coming up on the left."

"KF," Tigress said. He nodded and sped ahead, knocking out the unsuspecting guards and then continuing on with them towards the heart of the facility. The hallways were a sterile white, and oddly quiet. They continued on, turning left, and then right, and they made their way to the last door. Tigress opened it silently, ushering the rest of the team in—they entered the open atrium on the second level in the rafters. Below, they could see Lex Corp employees working with several machines holding a similar substance as the one they found while investigating the Reach.

"Alright," Tigress whispered. "Looks like our intel was right, about everything. Bumblebee, keep to the sky and look out, KF and I will go down to collect a sample. Guardian, guard the door." Everyone nodded and Tigress wrapped her arm around Bart's waist and then shot a grapple at the ceiling, before jumping off the rafter and slowly lowering them both down into a dark corner of the operation.

"Wait," KF said. "Something's not right." He tapped his ear and Tigress listened. "It's quiet." And then one of the workers walked right past them, without even noticing them. KF got up and went to touch a machine, but his hand passed through it.

Tigress' eyes widened. "Illusions. Abort, abort, abort! Guardian, get that door open before it—" And then the people and machines faded from existence, locking mechanisms sealing the team in room.

"Uh… what just happened?" Bumblebee asked.

"We were played," Tigress said. She thought to Jade and wondered if her sister had betrayed her, or if she was given faulty information. Either way, they had to find a way out of there, fast.

* * *

July 7th – METROPOLIS 8:56 PM EST

"Thank God that's over," Luthor said to himself, loosening his tie. He was in his car, driving to one of Lex Corp's subsidiary buildings. The gala with those simpletons couldn't have ended sooner. Then again, it was necessary. With Godfrey at his side and the UN in his pocket, no one of merit would question his uncharacteristic rise to power. It would be fairly obvious to anyone that there was some level of manipulation going on, but Godfrey's powers assured anyone with the power to stop him was under his spell.

"Hello?" Luthor asked, as he picked up the phone. They told him something about a break in by heroes—they were foolish to try something like this again, Luthor mused, especially since they were caught the last time at the drink factory. "Hold them there until I decide what to do with them. Knock them out with gas, if you have to, I don't care, but keep them there until I say so."

This was good. Another variable accounted for, and a potential bargaining chip insured. The heroes would do anything to keep their protégé safe. With Batman captured, part of Young Justice detained and without communication, and Superman off with whatever group of New Gods, Metropolis was ripe for Lex's taking. That, and the Light could make their moves much freer now that several key players were removed.

The car pulled up to what appeared to be one of Lex Corp's science facilities. He got out of the car and headed into the facility, using a secret elevator to go beneath the building and into the sub-levels. Lined with lead, the operations going on beneath the building couldn't be seen by Superman, and with sound dampeners, he wouldn't be able to hear it either. Completely wiped from the books, done by word of mouth and not over any electronics, a digital footprint was nonexistent. The place was completely and utterly secure.

The elevator took Luthor to the bottommost level. The door opened and Luthor stepped out, surveying the room: a giant atrium, filled with computers and personnel in black uniforms. Bustling with the hum of technology and general hustle about of technicians and surveyors. As Luthor walked towards the apex of the atrium, personnel would stop and stand at attention—at the apex, there were three large monitors, going through all the current "hot" activity of the world: threats to peace, metahuman activity, and the like.

"How's everything progressing, Amanda?" Luthor asked, stepping up onto the platform.

"Very well, Mr. Luthor," Waller said. As the previous warden of Belle Reve—and Luthor knowing that she was not at fault for what happened—she was the obvious choice to help him with this particular endeavor. "Checkmate is almost complete in its set-up. By tomorrow, the UN will have secretly recognized us, and our tenure as commanders will begin."

"The White Queen, right?" Luthor asked, referring to her code name. "Poignant."

"And you, the White King," Waller said. She knew that Luthor was playing some kind of game, and she was determined to find out what. "Our two associates are coming down now. The Black King and the Black Queen."

"We're doing good work here, Amanda. We'll usher in a new era of peace. We can't trust the Justice League and these metahumans to police _our_ world."

"Mm," was all that Amanda replied. She knew better than to blindly trust Luthor's words. He was a skilled orator, that was for sure, and his ability to read people and act accordingly to persuade people to his side. Of course, if he couldn't persuade them, then he'd force him. Waller knew about Luthor's checkered past.

"Oh, are we still at that chit-chatting stage?" Two people walked up onto the platform. The speaker was a man, dressed smartly in a suit and tie—he was Caucasian and had short brown hair. He held an imposing air of authority that rivaled Luthor. Maxwell Lord, the Black King.

"Well, we were late, so they had to fill their time with something," the woman beside him said. She was white, and had black hair and blue eyes. Considerable more attractive than her counterpart, Sasha Bordeaux was nonetheless a lethal force to be reckoned with and more than qualified to be the Black Queen of Checkmate.

"Good, we're all here," Luthor said. "Now, place your hands on the scanners and they'll take your fingerprints and DNA and code you into your new positions. In case any of you have forgotten, Amanda and I will be the face of this organization—me to the public and Amanda to the government—and allocate resources and direction. You both will coordinate our plans and do the… dirty work, so to speak."

"Suppose that's why we're the Black ones, eh?" Lord said, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag. "Keeping the peace will be our—what's it, Queeny?—our pleasure?"

"Just keep yourself in check, Lord," Amanda said. "I'll be keeping an eye on you to ensure none of your previous… habits come up."

"That goes without saying, Waller."

"If you both are quite done," Luthor said, "I have other matters to attend to. Tomorrow is a big day. Tomorrow, we start on world peace. Cheers." And with that, Lex walked off, leaving at the appropriate time to not arouse suspicion and not be late for his meeting with the Light.

* * *

July 7th – METROPOLIS 9:16 PM EST

Lex pressed a button in the back of his limo, and the back became sectioned off as a partition rose between the driver and passenger sections. The windows tinted and five screens came online: Vandal Savage, Klarion, Queen Bee, a fatigued—but alive—Ra's Al Ghul, and a blank screen that belonged to the Brain. Although Brain was in custody, he still had means of communication.

"Congratulations, Mr. Secretary," Savage said. "The Light is one step closer to our goals."

"Indeed," Luthor said. "The Justice League International and Checkmate will start operating within the week. They will make the perfect scapegoats for insurance purposes. I'm also happy to report that a team of Young Justice has been detained and Batman is in our custody. As soon as I get a free moment, I'll be taking a peak under that mask."

"No," Ra's said. "You are not to remove his mask."

"And why not, Ra's? Getting territorial of your adversaries?"

"Because," Ra's replied, "you are not worthy of the Detective's secrets. I shall send my agents to collect him and I will detain him personally."

"Hasn't he escaped your clutches in the past? I think not."

"You will comply, Luthor. Or I will take the Detective by force."

"No," Savage said. "Batman will stay with Luthor and Luthor will keep his hands to himself. You, Ra's, need to finish recovering."

"Yeah, yeah," Kalrion said, obviously bored with the chatter of the mortals. "Anyway, back to the fun stuff. Is the thingy is ready for deployment!?"

"Yes, Klarion. It is," Queen Bee said. "With Lex Corps resources, the Brain's programing, Klarion's magical assistance, and my funding and operations, Brother Eye will be secretly launched into orbit tomorrow. We will have eyes on all our enemies without them ever knowing. Our agent on Mars has also reported that they're close to stealing the relic."

"Good," Savage replied. "If we get that, then Darkseid will never be able to bring his plans to fruition and we can focus on bringing the Earth's heroes to their knees. Ushering in this era of peace, the Light will become powerful enough to protect the Earth from any threat. Even the likes of the Fourth World."

"Oui," the Brain said. "Deathstroke, Monsieur Mallah, and I will be making our escape soon enough. We are leaving Black Manta, non?"

"Black Manta has outlived his usefulness," Savage responded. "Leave him."

"Is there anything else on the agenda, or can we adjourn this meeting?" Luthor asked.

"As I'm recovering, my daughter, Talia, will take over my day-to-day responsibilities for the Light. You have her contact information if you require our services. If something important comes up, contact me directly. To the Light."

"To the Light," they all replied.

* * *

July 7th – BATCAVE 9:37 PM EST

"I've arranged for Miss Lance to accompany you on your patrol tonight, Mater Timothy," Alfred said. "With Master Bruce still away, and your patrol starting rather late, I felt it prudent to—"

"Get me some supervision, I know," Tim replied, suiting up. "Standard procedure and all that." Still, he wished that Alfred and Bruce trusted him more to be out on his own. Dick and Jason had gotten solo patrols every once in a while—then again, bringing up the Jason card would definitely be the wrong move.

"It'll be alright, Master Timothy." Alfred smiled warmly. "Try and refrain from growing up too fast. Besides, Miss Lance is most pleasant company. Her and I have such delightful conversations."

"Of course you do, Alfred." Tim returned the smile and finished suiting up. "Alright, tell Canary to meet me at Sector—"_Intruder Alert_. The Batcave's alarms rang out and the lights started to flash. "Alfred get back upstairs! Now!" Alfred nodded and went up the steps, while Tim grabbed his staff. It was important for Alfred to stay out of sight, in case the intruder didn't realize they were under Wayne Manor, even more important for Alfred to stay safe. "Initiate Protocol BW Alpha."

Sounds of machinery moving filled the Batcave and Tim faced the entrance to the catacombs. Only the most deadly warriors and most dangerous villains could get past the outer defenses, and whatever came through the darkness, Tim had to defeat. No one else would be coming. It would be him and the Cave against…

"Catwoman?" Tim asked, lowering his guard. She crawled out of the darkness, obviously fatigued, clutching her stomach. He could see slashes across her abdomen, and she looked worse for wear, worse than he had even seen Bruce when he got thrown around by Killer Croc and Grundy at once. He could tell by her movement that she was seriously injured, and she would have been able to use backdoor codes on each of Batman's passageways—he would have set them up for only he to be alerted if she came through—she just didn't get to the last one in the sequence, setting off the alarm. "Abort, abort! Disengage! Alfred!"

Tim ran over to Selina, assessing her wounds. "K-keep this safe," was all Catwoman said, as she pressed a back into Tim's hand, fainting from her wounds.

"Master Timothy! Bring Miss Kyle over to the table, now." Alfred began working on her. "Contact Master Bruce."

Tim nodded and tried to connect with Batman's comm. "Batman? Batman, do you copy? Alfred, he's not answering. He must have gone dark. Wasn't Catwoman announced to be a part of that new Justice League? What's she doing here, then?"

Alfred knew Tim was only thinking out loud, so he posed another question. "What did she give you?"

Tim looked in the bag. "Well, not exactly a Batcave kind of item," he said, pulling out an old looking rifle and a smaller pouch of bullets. "This must have been from the museum. Let me reference it on the Batcomputer." Tim went over to start his detective work. "Yup. It's from the museum. According to the database records, it's an rifle circa the Old West. It's called the Ace of Winchesters. Does that mean anything to you, Alfred?"

"No. But I suppose we'll find out once Miss Kyle wakes up. _If_ she wakes up," Alfred said, rubbing his brow. "We may have to call Miss Thompkins for assistance."

"Bruce will just love that…" Tim sighed, looking at Catwoman. "What is going on?"

* * *

July 7th – KEYSTONE CITY 10:42 PM EST

Dick drove up to Keystone City's heart. The city was so unlike Gotham, Metropolis, and New York—even Boston, to a degree: Keystone was rather quiet at night. It was a nice change of pace. Dick continued down the main road towards the Financial District and pulled into the parking lot of Quickstart Enterprises, a company that made infomercials to reform villains and help people start a new life.

Dick scaled up the side of the building, having already looked at its schematics. Because it wasn't affiliated with the Light or any superhero team, the security was lax enough for Dick to essentially waltz in. He opened one of the windows and made his way into the building, before heading up to the main office.

He knocked out of courtesy before opening the door. "Mr. Quick? I'm sorry to disturb you, but—"

"Come in, come in," Johnny Quick said, sitting at his desk. His office appeared rather cluttered, but it held a sense of organized chaos. He worked quickly, signing papers and reading through them. Quick himself was a younger man, in his late thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes. "Batman told me you'd be coming."

"Of course he did," Dick replied, rubbing the back of his head. "So you know why I'm here?"

Quick looked up at Dick. "Well, come on, take a seat. Trying to find Wallace West will take quite a while, so we might as well get started."

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed this episode! Please consider checking out Emertainment Monthly, the magazine that I help run. It's Emerson College's unofficial magazine devoted solely to Entertainment! I've done several interviews with Marcus To, the producers of Beware the Batman, and many others! Check it out.

If anyone is lost on who these characters are, or any of the items (Johnny Quick, Maxwell Lord, Ace of Winchesters, etc.) please let me know in the reviews! PS-Yes, the Ace of Winchesters is an actual DC Universe item and not of my creation! I'll start the next chapter with a spoiler-free introduction of each character and good reference material to get to know them if you ask for them in a review! One of the biggest challenges in writing _Young Justice_ is there will inevitably be characters that are from the more obscure parts of the DC Universe, so I just want to make sure everyone is all set to read without any confusion :).

As always, please read and review, and I'll do my best to get the next episode up as soon as possible! Thanks chicks and dudes!


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